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New Delhi: Rishabh Pant scored 97 runs and Sanju Samson chipped in with 61 runs to help Delhi Daredevils chase down a mammoth 209 runs with 15 balls to spare.
The run chase is only the second highest in IPL history, just behind Rajasthan Royals’ record of 215 against Deccan Chargers.
The young DD batsmen put together 143 runs for the second wicket to take the match away from Gujarat’s reach and seriously dent their hopes of making the playoffs while keeping themselves in the hunt.
In perfect example of throwing the kitchen sink, Gujarat tried to throw everything at Pant and Samson but they replied not just with defensive shots but with mammoth sixes.
In fact, Delhi finished with a staggering 20 sixes in the match with nine coming from Pant and seven from Samson. No surprise then that Suresh Raina, captain of Gujarat Lions, lauded the duo for taking the game away from them.
At the end of it all, Delhi never looked flustered or uncomfortable during a massive chase with Samson and Pant deserving all the credit for that.
The win keeps Delhi still in sixth but improves their net run rate and dims Gujarat Lion’s chances of making the final four.
Having won the toss, Delhi opted to field first and leaked runs after making a strong start.
Gujarat rode on Suresh Raina (77) and Dinesh Karthik’s (65) strong fifties to register 208 runs batting first. Raina should have been dismissed earlier but for dropped catches by Delhi’s debutant Marlon Samuels on 0 and Shreyas Iyer on 2.
Delhi started in blazing fashion but lost Karun Nair in the third over to Pradeep Sangwan. This brought, the man of the night, Pant to the middle. He started off on a positive note to smack Sangwan for two sixes and a four in an over that yielded 17 runs.
From then on it was just one way traffic with both batsmen smashing the bowlers around at will and Lions looking hapless one ball after another, one over after another.
Pant reached his fifty in just 27 balls thanks to two fours and five sixes.
Samson didn’t hold back either. He clobbered Ankit Soni to two sixes in the tenth over and the same treatment was meted out to Ravindra Jadeja in the 12th over. The duo brought together their 100 run stand in just 46 deliveries.
Despite chasing a massive target, Delhi kept the required rate in check and looked to be coasting towards a simple win with the heroes of the night before Samson handed James Faulkner a catch off Jadeja.
That didn’t fade Pant who continued as he had been playing to go after the poor bowling effort by Gujarat. However, just before he could call the tremendous inning a milestone, he was dismissed by Basil Thampi while trying to go after the ball only to edge it behind to Karthik.
Shreyas Iyer (14*) and Corey Anderson (18*) got the job done with a 35 run partnership and keep Delhi in the hunt for the playoffs.
Brief scores
Gujarat Lions - 208 for 7 (Raina 77, Karthik 65)
Delhi Daredevils - 214 for 3 (Pnt 97, Samson 61)
Result - Delhi Daredevils won by 7 wickets
